Altered Reflections
by Buffybot76
Summary: DISCONTINUED - Hiei is caught in a portal that switches him with his double from an alternate universe, where he finds nothing as he remembers. Alternate Pairing HieiKeiko
1. Default Chapter

Title: Altered Reflection  
  
Author: Rose  
  
Email: buffybot76@hotmail.com  
  
Classification: AU; action/adventure/romance  
  
Parings: Hiei/Keiko  
  
Summary: Hiei gets caught in a portal that switches him with his double from an alternate universe. There he finds that nobody is as he remembers. There is a Kurama-ish Kuwabara (ie: he isn't a klutz and is very popular with the ladies), Botan is the princess of Renkai while Koenma (in his teenage form) is a ferry boy desperately in love with her! Yusuke has a picture perfect family and is dating Yukina. And that's just the beginning!  
  
Disclaimer: I own none of these characters, they belong to their creator   
  
Spoilers: None  
  
Distribution: FanFiction.Net. MediaMiner.com. If anyone else wants it, just email me and ask.  
  
Feedback: Yes, please.  
  
Author's Note: Okay guys, just so you don't get confused...anything that happens after it says "Natural Realm" is the original YYH characters.. anything after it says "Mirror Realm" is alternate reality YYH characters. There is a few differences in the characters from the two realms, but basically they look/act the same....basically. *Ahem* anyway, hope that will help you to furthur understand and enjoy my fic. Now....ON TO THE STORY!!!  
  
Chapter 1: Pesky Portals  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Natural Realm  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
"Hiei, look out!!"  
  
Yusuke's warning came too late as he saw one of the demons that the group of Renkai Tentai had been fighting, shoot a blast of spirit energy toward his black haired friend.  
  
The fire demon, who was intent on slicing up his latest opponent with his katana, turned a second too late to avoid the blast, even with his lightening fast speed. His friends winced as the white burst of energy caught Hiei in the side as he turned, knocking him back to crash against a nearby tree. The force of the impact was enough to stun the fire demon for a moment, but it wasn't long before he rose to his feet again, his red eyes glowing with anger. He picked up his katana, which had landed a few feet away and quickly returned to the fight.   
  
"Alright you overgrown piss ant," Yusuke bellowed as he glared at the insect-like demon that had blasted his friend. "now you're asking for it!"  
  
Yusuke began to power up his spirit gun, but was stopped when Hiei laid a hand on Yusuke's arm.   
  
"Don't." Hiei said calmly, never taking his eyes off of the demon that was now beginning to back away in fear. "I'll take care of this one myself."   
  
Yusuke shrugged, "Alright, if you insist." before rushing off to assist Kurama who was at the moment using his rose whip against two more of the ant-looking demons.  
  
A shrill shriek was heard as Hiei exacted his revenge upon the poor demon before moving on to help Kuwabara. It seemed that the demons, much like the insects they resembled, were numerous. Once they cut one down there were two more to take its place. The group was so occupied with fighting the demons that none of them noticed when a strange disturbance appeared in the air above them. It started out as a ripple, then gradually grew and soon it seemed as if the sky was issuing a violent shudder. A sudden blast of lightening bolts erupted from the growing object, finally drawing Yusuke, Kurama, Hiei and Kuwabara's attention. The ant-like demons froze as well, then promptly scattered as everyone else looked up at the now large gaping hole of pale blue light in the sky.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Mirror Realm  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
"Kurama, look out!!"  
  
Keiko's warning came too late as she saw one of the demons that the group of Renkai Tentai had been fighting, shoot a blast of spirit energy toward her silver haired friend.  
  
The kitsune, who was intent on using one of his deadly Makai plants on the demon he was fighting, turned a second too late to avoid the blast.. His friends winced as the white burst of energy caught Kurama in his side as he turned, knocking him back to crash against a nearby tree. The force of the impact was enough to stun the fox demon for a moment, but it wasn't long before he rose to his feet again, his amber eyes glowing with fury. He quickly summoned one of his more deadly plants, and moved to rejoin the fight.   
  
"Oooh, you've done it now," Keiko smirked as she watched the demon that had blasted her friend begin to back away from the approaching Kurama. It quickly turned and fled when one of the plant's mouths opened to reveal its jagged teeth dripping with an acidic saliva. "Hey don't run away! It's only fair that he get a shot in now!"  
  
Keiko grabbed the twin daggars that were strapped to her side. She made to let fly with them but stopped when she heard Hiei's voice in her head.   
  
"Don't." Hiei voice was calm,. "Kurama can handle his own battles."   
  
Keiko nodded. "Alright, Hiei." she replied mentally before rushing off to assist Yusuke who was at the moment using his spirit gun against two more of the renegade demons.  
  
An agonized shriek was heard as Kurama exacted his revenge upon the poor demon before moving on to help Hiei. The group was so occupied with fighting the demons that none of them noticed when a strange disturbance appeared in the air above them. It started out as a ripple, then gradually grew and soon it seemed as if the sky was issuing a violent shudder. A sudden blast of lightening bolts erupted from the growing object, finally drawing Yusuke, Kurama, Hiei and Keiko's attention. The renegade demons froze as well, then promptly scattered as everyone else looked up at the now large gaping hole of pale blue light in the sky.  
  
"What the hell is that?!" Yusuke exclaimed, then leapt quickly out of the way as one of the bolts struck out at him from the large portal.  
  
Tucking and rolling to a stop, he quickly leapt to his feet to see another bolt streak directly toward Kurama, who nimbly leapt to the side to avoid the strike.  
  
Kurama flicked his long silver locks out of his face, and without missing a beat, the fox demon replied. "It appears to be a portal of some kind. But why it has appeared or to where it leads, I have no idea."  
  
"Well, I don't figure we wanna find out, now do we?" Yusuke grimaced. "Let's get the hell outta here."  
  
The four nodded in agreement and attempted to leave the vicinity of the portal. Before they could go too far though, a wall of blue light spilled forth from the portal and quickly flowed outward and down to form a dome that covered a good 50 yards of the clearing. Everyone paused, giving each other looks of uncertainty. Hiei withdrew his katana and made as if to slash at the bluish wall but was stopped by a feminine hand on his arm.  
  
"Hiei, wait."   
  
Hiei turned to meet the lilac colored eyes of Keiko. She gently pulled back on his arm and he relented, drawing back to allow her room. Withdrawing one of her daggars from its sheath, she twirled it skillfully in her hand, catching the tip of the blade and, drawing back, let it fly at the suddenly erected barrier. A burst of blue light flared as contact was made, causing the group to shield their eyes at its brightness. When they looked again, the barrier was still in place, not a bit of damage done. But Keiko's daggar was nowhere to be seen... on either their side of the barrier, nor the other.  
  
"Well *that's* not good." Yusuke grumbled. "Now what?"  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Natural Realm  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
"Well *that's* not good." Yusuke grumbled, as he observed how useless his spirit gun had been on the barrier. "Now what?"  
  
"I don't know Urameshi, but we better think of something quick cause...Look!" Kuwabara shouted, raising an arm to point toward one side of the blue-ish barrier. The barrier that seemed to be slowly closing in on them.  
  
"What nowl?!?" Yusuke looked to where Kuwabara was pointing. He immediately noticed what Kuwabara had. "Aww, that's just *great*!" Yusuke shouted, throwing up his arms in frustration. "Can this possibly get any worse?!?"  
  
"Hn." Hiei responded as he glowered at the barrier as it drew closer. His eyes shone a fiery red, reflecting his irritation at their situation.  
  
Looking around them, Kurama observed that they indeed where trapped. Try as he might, he could not come up with a way out this dire circumstance.   
  
"I don't really see how it could, Yusuke. It seems we are thoroughly trapped within this barrier." Kurama said.   
  
When Yusuke didn't respone, the others looked over to see a look of determination on his face as he charged up his fist with his spirit energy.  
  
"Yusuke, I wouldn't do anything rash if I were you. We have no way of knowing what reaction will come of you using your spirit shotgun on the barrier ." Kurama attempted to reason with his friend.  
  
"Heh, who said anything about the barrier?" Yusuke retorted, then proceeded to fire a blast of spirit energy directly into the center of the portal.   
  
The reaction was almost simultaneous. A sound erupted from the portal that was the equivalent of a loud roll of thunder. The foursome stumbled and almost lost their footing when the ground beneath their feet began to quake and shudder.  
  
"Uh oh, Urameshi. Looks like you really pissed it off." Kuwabara shouted above the rumbling sound.  
  
"Grrrr. SHUT UP!" Yusuke bellowed, right before all hell broke loose.  
  
The bolts of lightening began striking again, this time in earnest as they attempted to lash out at the four trapped forms. Yusuke, Kuwabara, Hiei and Kurama were forced to constantly dodge the bolts, unsure of what would happen were they to be struck.  
  
"Shit!" Yusuke exclaimed as he dodged his fifth bolt of lightening.  
  
Hiei was having no problems dodging, his speed more than a match for the lightening bolts. That is, until one of the bolts mysteriously redirected its course and honed in on the fire demon. *What the -- * was all Hiei had time to think before he instinctively stopped and crouched down in anticipation of the pain.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Mirror Realm  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
*NO!! KEIKO!!*  
  
Hiei saw the lightening closing in on Keiko and without a single thought used his speed to beat the bolt to its target, immediately leaping to cover her already cowering form.   
  
An instant later, the lightening struck home.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
TBC.... 


	2. Chapter 2: Switched

Title: Altered Reflection  
  
Author: Rose  
  
Email: buffybot76@hotmail.com  
  
Classification: AU; action/adventure/romance  
  
Parings: Hiei/Keiko  
  
Summary: Hiei gets caught in a portal that switches him with his double from an alternate universe. There he finds that nobody is as he remembers. There is a Kurama-ish Kuwabara (ie: he isn't a klutz and is very popular with the ladies), Botan is the princess of Renkai while Koenma (in his teenage form) is a ferry boy desperately in love with her! Yusuke has a picture perfect family and is dating Yukina. And that's just the beginning!  
  
Disclaimer: I own none of these characters, they belong to their creator   
  
Spoilers: None  
  
Distribution: FanFiction.Net. MediaMiner.com. If anyone else wants it, just email me and ask.  
  
Feedback: Yes, please.  
  
Author's Note: Since I have no idea how Youko Kurama acts, cause I've only seen him briefly in one episode, I'm going to portray him in the mirror realm as having the looks of Youko Kurama and a hint of Suuichi Minamino's mannerisms. But he's still full fox demon. Thanks.  
  
Author's Note 2: Okay, so you won't be confused, just keep in mind that the Mirror Realm's Hiei is now in the Natural Realm and vice versa. I'm not gonna use any labels on them, so please keep this in mind so as not to get confused later. If and when they eventually return to their correct realms, I'll let you know.  
  
Chapter 2: Switched  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Mirror Realm  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Hiei felt a warmth surround him as the bolt of light struck his body, a bright blue glow enveloping him. There was a sharp pulling sensation, but oddly enough, there was no pain. There was a brief floating sensation followed immediately by a plummeting one, and then....nothing. Surprised, Hiei opened his eyes slightly. Something was moving beneath him.  
  
Glancing down, he was greeted with the sight of a distinctly feminine body pressed against him. Sienna-colored hair hung down as she knelt beneath the cover of his body, creating a curtain that obscured her facial features. Where had she come from? What had happened with the energy bursts? What of the portal? The last thought brought Hiei to his senses and he abruptly stood, grasping the female by the shoulders and hoisted her up with him. He watched as the female's head snapped up to glance around, taking in the lack of danger, obviously quite confused.   
  
He too was puzzled as to what had just happened. One minute he was fighting against ant-like demons along side Yusuke, Kurama and the idiot. The next there had erupted some sort of strange portal which had trapped them under an impenetrable dome sheild. The portal had shot out electrical bolts of energy at them, one of which seemed to inexplicably hone in on him. The next thing he knew the portal had disappeared and there was a strange female cowering beneath the protection of his own body.   
  
"Hiei..."   
  
Hiei tensed when the soft voice spoke his name. It seemed the female wasn't as unfamiliar as he had thought. Yusuke's mate? But what was she doing here? And why had she been on the ground beneath him? She had not been present during the fight nor when the portal opened.   
  
He was still pondering the numerous questions in his mind, but was taken by surprise when the now identified Keiko turned and, seeing him behind her and unharmed, practically leapt into his arms!   
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Natural Realm  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
First came warmth, then a blue glow. There was a sense of floating, then falling, and then.....She was gone! Hiei's eyes snapped open as the lack of a warm body beneath him registered in his mind. Keiko was gone. His gaze quickly swept over the area of the clearing, not seeing any sign of her. Where the hell was she? He did see Yusuke coming toward him, a worried look in his eyes. He opened his mouth as if to say something, perhaps to ask if Hiei was alright, but the fire demon cut him off with an abrupt question.  
  
"Where is she?!?"   
  
Yusuke blinked. "Wha...who? What do you mean "where is she?" Hiei, are you alright?"  
  
"No you nitwit, I am not alright! Where is Keiko!?"  
  
Yusuke's face had a look of bewielderment before it quickly turned to annoyance. "What the hell are you talking about, Hiei? Keiko's where she's supposed to be. Safe at home."  
  
  
  
In the usuall blur of blackness, Hiei zipped over to grab Yusuke by the collar of his green uniform and shook him as he growled. "Have you gone insane, Urameshi? She doesn't need to be safe *there*, she is safer by my side. After all, she *is* my mate."  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Mirror Realm  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Hiei stiffened as two slender, yet surprisingly strong arms wound thier way around his neck and pulled him into an intimate embrace. His eyes widened even more when he felt the girl actually nuzzle him as she buried her face deeper into the crook of his neck. What the hell does she think she's doing? he thought. Hiei was in such a state of shock that it didn't register in his mind to push her away, instead he simply stood there, arms hanging limply to his sides as the girl began to babble incoherantly against him. Something about the portal and being scared she had lost him.   
  
She lose him? Was she mad?  
  
Looking up from the hysterical female, Hiei scanned the clearing for a sign of the others. Perhaps Urameshi could make some sense of his woman's nonsense. What he saw made his eyes widen in shock even more.   
  
"Youko?"  
  
There, approaching him alongside Yusuke, was none other than Youko Kurama in all his kitsune youkai glory. The silvery strands of his hair cascaded down his back, ending somewhere around his hips. The elegant tail curled around him, delicate fox ears perched atop his head. He was just as Hiei remembered. But how? When had this happened? Did it have something to do with the....portal? The firm tug of Keiko's hand on his arm brought Hiei's gaze back to meet her's. She had released the death grip she had on him, albeit slightly, so that she could pull back to look up at him. It was then that he noticed her eyes. They were an exotic lilac color. That was definitely *not* what they should have been. If he recalled correctly, the human's eyes should have been a simple brown, not this attractive hue.  
  
Attractive? Now where had that thought come from?  
  
It was at that moment that Yusuke and Kurama reached thier friends, who were still wrapped in a one-sided embrace. Hiei prepared himself for the outburst of jealousy he was sure would be directed at him from Yusuke, but was shocked yet again when the Renkai Tentai only asked about thier safety.  
  
"Hiei...Keiko, are you two alright? Yusuke asked in a concerned voice, not a hint of anger or suspicion anywhere to be heard.  
  
"Yes, you took the brunt of the attack Hiei, but it could have very well affected both of you." Youko Kurama stated smoothly in the voice Hiei had often heard come from Suuichi Minamino's lips.  
  
So, it is only his appearance that is different. The human side remains intact it seems, Hiei thought. Something strange was going on here and Hiei was determined to figure it out. Grasping the suddenly glingy Keiko by the shoulders, the fire demon shoved her away. Not as roughly as he could have, but enough to point out that he would not tolerate her touching him again.  
  
"Hiei?" The hurt tone in Keiko's voice disturbed him for some odd reason. Now why would it matter to him if he hurt her? he wondered.  
  
Instead of pondering that thought, Hiei looked at Yusuke. "Mind explaining to me what the hell is going on, Yusuke?"  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Natural Realm  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
"WHAT?!?!?!?" Yusuke's exclamation was so loud that it had both Hiei and Kurama wincing from the damage to thier sensitve hearing. With bulging eyes and gaping mouth, Yusuke Urameshi could only stare at the frantic fire demon in front of him.  
  
Kuwabara, who had been standing to the side of the others decided to speak up just then. "Hey shorty!! Don't you even go thinkin' of trying to steal Urameshi's girl!!"  
  
Hiei turned to the speaker with a glare on his face, which promptly melted into a look of surprise. "Kazuma? What are you doing here? Didn't Botan send you on another assignment?"  
  
"Huh?" Kuwabara said, a look of dumbfounded confusion.  
  
Hiei then turned to Kurama. "And just who is the other red headed human? Where's Kurama?"  
  
Yusuke felt Hiei's grip on his shirt loosen and so wrenched himself free, and backed away a few steps. "What the heck are you talking about Hiei. That *is* Kurama!" He exclaimed as he pointed toward a now very worried kitsune.  
  
"Yes, Hiei. I am Kurama. Have you injured yourself in some way that you would not recognize me?" Kurama spoke in his normally gentle tone, hoping to sooth the obviously aggitated fire apparition.  
  
"I think that lightening fried his brains or something. He's acting all freaky." Kuwabara muttered.  
  
"I'm completely fine! I just want to know what is going on here!! Hiei exploded, glaring at the three people before him. Two of which he had considered friends of a sort, and one who claimed to be an old friend, which by the looks of him he obviously wasn't.  
  
Yusuke felt the tinge of annoyance beginning to grow. "Well, Hiei....I don't know what to tell you! There's nothing going on here! I hate to say it, but *you're* the one who's acting all wierd! And all this about Keiko being your *mate*? What's up with that?!"  
  
Growling in frustration, the black haired demon decided that speaking to these three was getting him nowhere. Spinning on his heel, he stalked off leaving the three looking after him in amazement. He had to find Keiko, he thought. She would know what was going on. She never lied to him. A hand on his arm halted him, however.   
  
"Hey! Wait just a minute, Hiei. I'm not through talking to you yet!" Yusuke demanded, pulling back and attempting to turn the fire demon to face him.   
  
Spinning about with his incredible speed, Hiei thrust out a hand charged with spirit energy. "GET OFF ME!" With a surprised grunt, Yusuke was sent flying backward across the clearing to land in a heap at Kurama and Kuwabara's feet. By the time they looked back toward Hiei, he was gone.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Mirror Realm  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
"What do you mean, Hiei? I'm not getting you. What do you think is going on?" Yusuke asked, a comical look of confusion on his face as he failed to comprehend what Hiei was asking of him.  
  
Hiei looked suspiciously at the three people around him. One who he had known for a long time, yet he was somehow different now. One he had come to respect, and the other he had not really acknowleged enough to get acquainted with. Settling his gaze back on Keiko, he noticed she was still looking at him with that crushed expression in her eyes. Why was she looking at him like that? He felt something, a slight tugging sensation in his chest and he quickly diverted his eyes away from her. That's when he realized something....or rather, *someone* was missing.  
  
"Where is the baka?" Hiei asked as he suddenly comprehended the lack of Kuwabara.  
  
He was beginning to become agitated. Something weird was going on and he seemed to be the only one noticing it. Of course, the fact that the something weird had somehow affected them could possibly be the explanation. The light touch to his face startled him at first and he jumped slightly. But then a soothing sensation crept into him from the touch that caused his entire body to relax. He felt calmed, almost peaceful. His eyes began to droop slightly and he leaned into the hand that was softly caressing his cheek. Then he jerked back to himself and stepped away quickly to see that it was Keiko who had been touching him. But...but that wasn't possible! She couldn't possibly have had that affect on me! The only one able to do that would have to be....  
  
"My mate?!" Hiei exclaimed, eyes widening in such astonishment as he was hit full force with the revelation.  
  
Keiko smiled brightly and her lilac eyes glowed a bit in happiness. "Yes, Hiei. It's me, Keiko...your mate." She made to take a step toward him, but suddenly found that he wasn't there. "HIEI!!!!"  
  
Already a few miles away, Hiei had but one thought on his mind. "I have to get to the Reikai. Koenma must know what has happened!"  
  
*~*~*~*~*  
  
TBC.... 


	3. Chapter 3: Desperately Seeking Keiko

Title: Altered Reflection  
  
Author: Rose  
  
Email: buffybot76@hotmail.com  
  
Classification: AU; action/adventure/romance  
  
Parings: Hiei/Keiko  
  
Summary: Hiei gets caught in a portal that switches him with his double from an alternate universe. There he finds that nobody is as he remembers. There is a Kurama-ish Kuwabara (ie: he isn't a klutz and is very popular with the ladies), Botan is the princess of Renkai while Koenma (in his teenage form) is a ferry boy desperately in love with her! Yusuke has a picture perfect family and is dating Yukina. And that's just the beginning!  
  
Disclaimer: I own none of these characters, they belong to their creator   
  
Spoilers: None  
  
Distribution: FanFiction.Net. MediaMiner.com. If anyone else wants it, just email me and ask.  
  
Feedback: Yes, please.  
  
Author's Note: Since I have no idea how Youko Kurama acts, cause I've only seen him briefly in one episode, I'm going to portray him in the mirror realm as having the looks of Youko Kurama and a hint of Suuichi Minamino's mannerisms. But he's still full fox demon. Thanks.  
  
Author's Note 2: Okay, so you won't be confused, just keep in mind that the Mirror Realm's Hiei is now in the Natural Realm and vice versa. I'm not gonna use any labels on them, so please keep this in mind so as not to get confused later. If and when they eventually return to their correct realms, I'll let you know.  
  
Chapter 3: Desperately Seeking Keiko  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Natural Realm  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
What in the name of Makai is going *on* here?! Hiei thought as he leapt with swift agility through the treetops. Everyone has gone crazy it seems. Kurama has disappeared, replaced by some *human* and the others didn't seem to notice! Could they have been affected somehow by that strange energy? And Keiko is gone. Where could she be? I must find her fast, I must! But what of the other? Yukina? Koenma and Botan? Have they been affected by this as well?   
  
His mind was in such turmoil that the fire demon failed to see the streak of blue flying directly into his leaping path, causing him to collide head on with the ferry girl, effectively knocking her off her oar. They both grunted with the impact and fell. At the last moment, however, Hiei regained his senses and--clasping onto the falling female--summersaulted so that he landed on his feet.  
  
"Hey mister, why don't you watch where you're --- H-hiei?! What are you doing here? Why aren't you with Yusuke and the others? Have you finished with the mission already?" Botan looked over Hiei's shoulder as if expecting to see the others coming up behind him.  
  
"Botan?" Hiei's face showed a hint of surprised, which he masked almost immediately. Silently he wondered what she was doing outside of the Reikai. She was the princess after all. Why didn't she have one of the lesser demons running her errands? Or Koenma for that matter. He *was* the assistant to the Reikai Tentai. But despite all this, he was very relieved to see her. If anyone could help him locate Keiko, it would be her.  
  
Taking hold of the blue haired girl's shoulders, Hiei shook her slightly to direct her eyes back to him instead of behind him. With a hint of menace in his voice, he demanded,. "Take me to Keiko, *NOW*!"  
  
Botan let out a startled "eep" at Hiei's action and turned to stare blinkingly at the obviously upset fire demon. What is his problem? Has something happened to the others? she thought. No wait...he wants to see Keiko. Keiko? But why.....  
  
"Why do you want to see Keiko?"  
  
"Why must you ask such questions? Just take me to her now, Dammit!" came the demon's harsh reply.  
  
Botan sweatdropped, not knowing what to make of Hiei's sudden interest in Keiko. "Uhh, ookay." the ferry girl said slowly. "Come on then, I actually just left her house. She was getting ready to do her homework. I swear that girl's brain will explode if she doesn't take a break once in awhile."  
  
Hiei looked at Botan strangely. Studying? he thought idly but said nothing as he hopped onto her oar. Botan manuevered her oar into the air and made a beeline for the Ukimura residence, all the while wondering about Hiei's strange behaviour and what Yusuke's reaction would be when he found out about Hiei's new interest in his best friend. It wasn't long before they were landing on the tree branch outside of Keiko's bedroom window. With great balance, Hiei turned abruptly to Botan.   
  
"Botan, why did you bring me to a human residence? I asked for Keiko."  
  
Botan blinked. "But Hiei...we *are* at Keiko's."  
  
"I wonder if going back and forth from your two forms may have done something to your brain, Your Highness." Hiei replied, practically sneering his last words.  
  
"Your Highness?" Botan's eyes narrowed and she poked a finger at his chest. "Just what are you implying buster?!"  
  
"Oh, Please forgive me. Is my tone not respectful enough for the likes of the Princess of Reikai?" There was evident sarcasm dripping from his comment.  
  
Botan gasped. "Princess of...? I don't know what you're on, Hiei, but I think you are losing it. What are you -- " At that moment thier heated arguement was disrupted by a form appearing at the window and throwing it open.  
  
"Botan? Hiei? What's going on? Has something happened to Yusuke or the others?" Keiko stood in the open window, a look of slight worry and curiosity on her face.   
  
As if in slow motion, Hiei turned around to face the girl in the window, a look of....happiness? etched across his face. "Keiko!"  
  
There was a blur of black, and suddenly Keiko found herself being hoisted out her window and onto the tree branch outside. She felt strong arms engulf her, holding her snuggly against a slim but muscled chest.   
  
"Eep!" she squeaked, not particularly liking the precarious position, though a nagging thought in the back of her mind insisted that the embrace was nice and secure...safe even.   
  
Then the realization of just *who* was holding her fell into place and she drew her head back to look into intense red eyes. Her own brown eyes widened in shock when the next instant she felt warm, firm lips pressed hotly to her own. Too shocked to protest, Keiko simply endured Hiei's kiss at first. Then, to her amazement, she soon found herself responding to his insistent attentions. Keiko's soft lips became pliant beneath the onslaught of Hiei's firm ones. He was on the verge of deepening the kiss when the sound of someone nervously clearing thier throat behind them caused Keiko's eyes to snap open and her to pull away from him abruptly, cheeks thoroughly flushed in both embarassment and a hint of desire.  
  
"Uhh, I don't really mean to interrupt, but Hiei.....what do you think you are doing?"  
  
"I'm kissing my mate. Amazing, your idiocy is surpassing Kazuma's today." Hiei never once took his eyes off of Keiko as he shot his retort at Botan.  
  
"M-m-mate? Wh-wha...what are you talking about?" Keiko asked hesitantly. She was still reeling from the fact that *Hiei* had just kissed her. And not just kissed her. But *really* kissed her. Not to mention all the emotions that the simple action had stirred within her.  
  
"My angel, what has happened to your eyes?" Hiei breathed softly, bringing a hand up to caress the side of Keiko's face as he stared into her eyes. He had just now noticed the lack of lilac tint to them. Instead they were brown. Definitely *not* his mate's normal eye color.  
  
Keiko nearly swooned at his tender touch. As much as she hated to admit it, it was enjoyable. "Uh..h-huh?" She asked, the confused word coming out no more than a whisper.  
  
Botan leaned forward with her hands clasped before her chest. "Aw, that is sooooo sweet." she sighed before finally realizing that *Hiei* had kissed Yusuke's girl! That *Hiei* was now stroking her face! She shook her head to clear the fuzzyness. "And soooo completely wrong." she continued, her voice growing stern. "What do you think you are doing Hiei? Do you want to end up on the wrong end of Yusuke's Spirit Gun?"  
  
Finally loosening his hold on Keiko, Hiei spun around to glare at the blue haired "Princess". "Why don't you go back to Reikai and mind your own business, Your Highness!" the fire demon growled, red eyes flashing angrily. Smirking at the tinge of fear that appeared in Boan's eyes, Hiei then turned back around to face Keiko--who had by now regained her composure as well as her ability to think straight. He was greeted by angry brown eyes and the sensation of an open palm making contact with his cheek.   
  
*SMACK*  
  
"That'll teach ya!" Both Botan and Keiko's exclamation rang out over the resounding slap.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
TBC... 


	4. Chapter 4: That Was Unexpected

Title: Altered Reflection  
  
Author: Rose  
  
Email: buffybot76@hotmail.com  
  
Classification: AU; action/adventure/romance  
  
Parings: Hiei/Keiko  
  
Summary: Hiei gets caught in a portal that switches him with his double from an alternate universe. There he finds that nobody is as he remembers. There is a Kurama-ish Kuwabara (ie: he isn't a klutz and is very popular with the ladies), Botan is the princess of Renkai while Koenma (in his teenage form) is a ferry boy desperately in love with her! Yusuke has a picture perfect family and is dating Yukina. And that's just the beginning!  
  
Disclaimer: I own none of these characters, they belong to their creator   
  
Spoilers: None  
  
Distribution: FanFiction.Net. MediaMiner.com. If anyone else wants it, just email me and ask.  
  
Feedback: Yes, please.  
  
Author's Note: Since I have no idea how Youko Kurama acts, cause I've only seen him briefly in one episode, I'm going to portray him in the mirror realm as having the looks of Youko Kurama and a hint of Suuichi Minamino's mannerisms. But he's still full fox demon. Thanks.  
  
Author's Note 2: Okay, so you won't be confused, just keep in mind that the Mirror Realm's Hiei is now in the Natural Realm and vice versa. I'm not gonna use any labels on them, so please keep this in mind so as not to get confused later. If and when they eventually return to their correct realms, I'll let you know.  
  
Author's Note3: I apologize before hand for any OOC-ness of any of these characters. Just keep in mind that they are in a "Mirror Realm" so they're not really the characters, just a slightly altered version of them. So they won't act exactly the same, but similar in certain ways. Thanks for all your support and reveiws. Oh and hinotama999, You are a wonderful Hiei/Keiko fic writer, much better than me! So keep up the great work and update soon soon soon!  
  
Chapter 4: That Was Unexpected  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Mirror Realm  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
What in the name of Makai is going *on* here?! Hiei thought as he leapt with swift agility through the treetops. Everyone has gone crazy it seems. The idiot has disappeared, no big loss there....but Kurama has regained his Youko form! How can this be? Yusuke did not seem to notice, that is strange. Could they have somehow been affected by that strange energy? Yusuke's girl was there as well...what is her name? Keiko? Where did she come from? And how did she wind up beneath me?   
  
All of these thoughts and more ran through Hiei's mind as he continued to make his way to Reikai. He hoped that he could shed some light on this phenomenon. He only hoped that the little prince hadn't been affected as well. His mind was in such turmoil that the fire demon failed to see the streak of red and blue flying directly into his leaping path, causing him to collide head on with someone, effectively knocking them off of what they had been riding on. They both grunted with the impact and fell. At the last moment, however, Hiei regained his senses and summersaulted so that he landed on his feet. The other body did the same and soon Hiei was staring into the very annoyed face of Koenma Daio's teen form, the Jr. on his forehead crinkled a bit as he narrowed his eyes at the fire demon.  
  
"Hiei?! What are you doing here? Why aren't you with Yusuke and the others? Botan is going to be very upset with me if you've went running off before the mission is complete!" Koenma glared for a moment, then looked over Hiei's shoulder as if expecting to see the others coming up behind him.  
  
"Koenma?" Hiei's face showed a hint of surprised, which he masked almost immediately. What in the seven hells is going on here? he thought. Why is Koenma in his teen form and running his own errands? Where is Botan? *She* is the assistant. But despite all the confusion, the fire demon was actually relieved to see him. Finally! I can get some answers, he thought.  
  
Reaching out, Hiei grabbed hold of the red scarf that Koenma kept tied around his neck. Shaking the "prince" slightly, he managed to direct eyes back to him instead of behind him. With a hint of menace in his voice, he demanded,. "What the hell is going on here, Koenma?!"  
  
Koenma's eyes widened at Hiei's action and turned to stare in open mouthed shock at the obviously upset fire demon. What is he talking about? Has something happened to the others? he thought. No wait...he would have mentioned it if something had happened to his team mates.   
  
Realizing he couldn't answer Hiei's question, the taller teen disengaged himself from the fire demon's grip before asking, "What are you talking about Hiei? I don't understand...."  
  
"Hn. Why must you make this difficult? I'll put it to you simply. A portal opened up in the location of where we were fighting the renegade demons. After it disappated, I found the others were changed. That fool Kuwabara was gone and Kurama is now in his Youko form! And Yusuke's woman was someplace that only moments before she was not! Now, I want some answers, Dammit!" came the demon's harsh reply.  
  
Koenma sweatdropped, not knowing what to make of Hiei's sudden outburst. Everything he had mentioned as being different just simply....wasn't. "Uhh, ookay." he said slowly. "Come along, Hiei. I think we should go back to Reikai. Maybe we can get some answers there."  
  
Hiei glared at Koenma for a moment before nodding. It was then that he noticed the oar lying on the ground. The oar looked similar to the one Botan used. That was strange. He watched as Koenma walked over to retrieve the oar and hopped aboard it, indicating that Hiei should do the same. What's this? Hiei thought idly but said nothing as he hopped onto the oar. Koenma manuevered it into the air and made a beeline for the Reikai, all the while wondering about Hiei's strange behaviour and what Botan's reaction would be when he informed her of it. It wasn't long before they were landing outside the entrance to the office of the ruler of the Spirit world. Koenma surprised Hiei yet again by knocking.   
  
"Enter." came a somewhat familiar voice from inside.  
  
The door swung open to reveal a bustle of ogres rushing about with their arms piled high with various files and documents. Everything seemed in place as the chaos of what normally occured inside the office went on. Everything that is, except for the chibi Botan that sat behind the desk that Koenma normally occupied (at least in the natural realm).  
  
Instantly he was across the office and had the chibi version of the so called ferry girl yanked up by the neck of the little pink kimono she always wore. "For the last time, what is going o -- " Hiei's demand was cut short as a solid blow of Koenma's oar made contact with the top of his head. Hiei's grip on chibi Botan's kimono loosened as the fire demon slumped to the floor gracefully.  
  
Chibi Botan blinked. "Well...that was certainly unexpected." she commented as she glanced down at the black pile at the foot of her desk.  
  
"Your Highness." Koenma addressed chibi Botan, "are you alright?"   
  
Though the question was directed at the toddler princess, it was a voice from below that gave him a reply. "Your concern for her welfare is quite touching but entirely misplaced. Prepare to meet oblivion!" Hiei's red eyes glowed bright as he rose from the floor, katana drawn and pointed directly at the young man.  
  
"No! What do you think you are doing, you idiot!!" Chibi Botan exclaimed as she leapt between the two, instantly transforming into her teen form and plastering herself against Koenma in a protective fashion.  
  
It was at that moment that the door to the young Reikai ruler's office was thrown open as Keiko, Yusuke and Youko Kurama rushed in.  
  
"Botan! Something's wrong with Hiei! He --" Keiko began, but broke off as she took in the startling scene before her.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Natural Realm  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Hiei felt the stinging pain as Keiko's open palm connected firmly with his right cheek. He winced. Not from the pain, mind you, but simply from the fact that his *mate* had just struck him! It had never crossed his mind once that his beloved Keiko would do such a thing. So obviously he was shocked. It was because of the shock that what happened next....well, happened. The force of Keiko'slap caused the fire demon--for the first time in his life--to actually lose balance and fall off of the tree branch they were presently standing on.   
  
"Oh no!" Keiko shouted, her hands covering her mouth in surprise as she watched Hiei's descent to the hard ground below.  
  
It was at the last second--right before he would have hit the compact dirt surrounding the base of the tree--that Hiei managed to flip. As graceful as a cat, he landed on his feet then proceeded to glare back up at the two girls with angry red eyes.. Keiko was staring down at Hiei, eyes widened comically.   
  
"Sorry." Keiko winced slightly.   
  
She hadn't meant to knock him out of the tree. She had just been so shocked and confused about him kissing her that she'd just reacted. Not even Yusuke had ever been so bold as to kiss her. The dumbfounded fire demon stood at the base of the tree for a few seconds. Iin a flash though, he reappeared back on the tree limb in front of Keiko.  
  
"What was that for?" He growled, his voice slightly raised.  
  
"Hiei." Botan interrupted, knowing that something very strange was going on here and the safest thing for them to do was go to Koenma. "Why don't we return to Spirit World, hmm?"  
  
Hiei did not respond right away, and for a moment Botan considered repeating her suggestion. Finally the black-haired demon turned away from Keiko to face the ferry girl and nodded once.   
  
"Hn. I believe you are correct, Princess. We had better get you back."  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*   
  
TBC... 


	5. Chapter 5: The Great Hiei Swap

**Altered Reflection**

_- Chapter Five -_

**_The Great Hiei Swap_**

  
*~*~*~*~*~* 

Mirror Realm

*~*~*~*~*~* 

"Hiei, _NO_!"

In a sienna hued blur, Keiko was across the office and beside the atonished fire demon, snatching the sword from his slackened grasp. Botan breathed a sigh of relief before realizing she was still plastered against Koenma. She leapt back instantly, a blush quickly coming over her face. Meanwhile, Hiei and Keiko were faced off a few feet away.

**_~Such speed, it could rival my own.~_** Hiei thought, **_~But... how can this be if she is human?~_**

_'It's because I'm ****__not_ human, Baka!'

Hiei blinked in surprise when he heard Keiko's voice inside his head, answering him telepathically.

_**~You are a demon?~**_

_'Yes, a fire demon to be exact. I'm also your mate.'_

Hiei narrowed his eyes in suspicion and spun around to the once again chibi-fied Botan.

"What in the seven hells is going _on_ here!?" A thoroughly confused and highly pissed Hiei raged.

Chibi Botan cleared her throat before hopping back onto her desk. She then turned to address the group. "Something strange has occured here," she began.

"You got that right." Yusuke muttered, earning himself a glare from the blue-haired mini princess.

"Yusuke, if you would, kindly shut up. I am speaking now." Clearing her throat, Botan then continued, "Now Hiei, why don't you start from the beginning."

"Hn." The fire demon nodded. "The last thing that I remember being normal was when we were fighting the Rikuwaki demons that Koenma sent us out to find. Everything and _everyone_ was as they should have been." The emphasis on everyone was only added to by the heated gaze the fire apparition shot toward Youko and Keiko. "We had almost beaten them when- " Hiei cut off abruptly as his eyes widened the slightest bit in realization. "The portal..."

"The portal... of _course_!" The lavender eyed demoness beside him spoke. "There was a portal which opened up, emitting an impenetrable force-field around us." Keiko continued the tale even as she felt her supposed mate's dawning gaze fall upon her. "We couldn't escape, and then the energy bolts emerged. It was as if they were purposefully aiming for us. One actually almost caught me, but..." here, Keiko's gaze met Hiei's ever widening eyes. "Hiei saved me. He threw himself on top of me to shield me from the blast."

"Impossible. The energy bolt directed itself toward me specifically. You were not even there." Hiei attempted to argue once again, but was interrupted by the thoughtful voice of the Reikai princess.

"It appears that we have a situation." Chibi Botan spoke, "It seems, that if _this_ Hiei is here... then _our_ Hiei must be someplace else. Possibly another deminsion..."

"What? Oh, that's terrible!" Keiko exclaimed, her eyes saddening as she continued to stare at Hiei. A look which caused the fire demon to grow uncomfortable by the moment. That expression on her face... it caused a peculiar urge to rise within him. The urge to take her into his arms. To comfort her as he would a loved one.

Why did he feel this strange urge to comfort this demoness? _'No... Yusuke's woman'_, his mind insisted. But... _She_ had insisted that they were mated, but... that was impossible. He had no use for a mate, had no desire for one either. Then why was it that he felt this way? Could it be that his alter ego's atmosphere was infecting him in some way...? But his other self had gone to his deminsion! Hiei shook off the random thoughts. He would not touch her, if for no other reason then for the fact that she resembled Yusuke's Keiko too much.

Hiei turned his attention to the remaining two males in the room. The silver form of Youko Kurama stood, eyeing his friend's look-a-like, much like his red headed counterpart would have done. Hiei barely restrained a smirk. Well, at least some things hadn't changed.

_'I bet he doesn't know what to think; I bet no one knows what to think.'_ Hiei smirked to himself. He did like to surprise people, and it was nice to have the upper hand over his sometimes friend, sometimes rival, for once.

Turning back to the tiny Botan, Hiei growled, "What do you plan on doing to fix this? I have no intentions on staying here, send me back to my realm now!"

Botan's pink eyes, filled with worry, stood out against her chibi-fied features. "I'm sorry, Hiei. But I'm afraid it'll take some time to figure out exactly what happened. Now, don't do anything rash!" she added quickly, seeing the fire demon's eyes narrow even further, "You will get sent back, I promise. But for now, it seems you're stuck here, and you'll have to make the best of it."

"How?" Was Hiei's growled remark.

Botan smiled slightly, "Well, for one thing, I have no other choice but to put you under supervision until we can get this sorted out. So, from this moment on, consider yourself in Keiko's care."

Hiei's narrowed eyes widened in shock.

"_What_?!"

~*~ 

**Author's Note:** _I am soooo sorry to keep everyone waiting, forgive me, please! And I'm sorry for the shortness of the chapter, but I'm thinking of categorizing each chapter as a scene set in each realm. So, since this chapter was set in the mirror realm, the next one will be what happens in the natural one. I hope you guys forgive me for the long wait, but I pomise I'll update soon. Hopefully, my inspiration won't die out on me again!_

**Rose aka Buffybot76**


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note:** First off, I would like to apologize for this taking so long to update. I've simply gotten myself in too deep with starting fics and now RL is stepping in, not to mention I'm losing my computer tomorrow cause I can't afford the note due to Christmas approaching and I'll have to wait till after the first of the year... _waaay_ after the first of the year, before I can get a new one. -sigh- Sometimes, I hate my life... Oh well, but at least I did manage to get this chapter up before I lost it. Big thanks to Mithryl, who helped me tremendously and without her, this chapter would've never gotten finished. I'm sorry for the shortness, but at least it's something, ne?

**- Chapter 5 -**

Natural Realm

The multitude of servants that constantly filled the work offices of the Reikai palace were busily going about their jobs of filing, typing and running errands as the group of three made their way to find the co-ruler of Spirit World. Keiko noticed the glances that Hiei kept giving her, an almost longing look that, for some reason, made tingles run down her spine. She quickly shook them off, however. After all, it wasn't right, him looking at her that way. No matter what he claimed, she was _not_ his mate. How could she be? She was with Yusuke. And Hiei just simply did _not_ think of her in that way, right?

As they walked, she also noticed the looks he shot toward Botan. It was strange, seeing the normally emotionless face displaying obvious confusion and disbelief. His eyes even grew a fraction wider as he watched Botan knock upon the enormous doors that they came to. For a moment, no one spoke. Then, from the other side of the doors, a familiar voice called out for them to enter. Botan immediately threw open the doors and lead them inside.

"Koenma-sama!" Botan spoke as she walked up to the large desk where the chibi ruler of the Reikai sat.

Keiko hung back timidly, not sure what to do, seeing as she'd never been in Koenma's office before...never even been in the Reikai before for that matter. She observed quietly as large brown eyes turned from the stack of paperwork piled on top of the desk as Koenma addressed his ferry girl, blinking in surprise.

"Botan, I thought I told you to go assist Yusuke and the others, what are you doing back?" The pint sized prince questioned his ferry girl before noticing Keiko and Hiei at the door. "And what is Hiei doing here? Or Keiko for that matter? Botan, what is going _on_?"

Botan fidgeted, tapping her fingertips together nervously, before finally exclaiming, "Oh, Koenma-sama, I think we've got a problem."

"I should think it was _perfectly_ obvious that you have a problem! Why is _he_ sitting in _your_ desk, princess?!"

Three shocked expressions immediately swung to the glaring fire demon, who stood with arms crossed and feet braced slightly apart. His red eyes stared pointedly at Koenma in a way that showed he did not believe the situation he was in. Botan cleared her throat as she once again turned to her boss.

"See what I mean? Something is wrong with Hiei, he's been acting strangely ever since I bumped into him on my way to where the group was. He seemed unusually upset and kept referring to me as "princess" and demanding to see Keiko. Then, when we got to Keiko's house, he... well, to put it bluntly, sir, he _kissed_ her and claimed that she was his _mate_!"

Koenma's eyes widened a bit as he stared from one person to the other as he sucked nervously on his pacifier.

"Oh dear..." The chibi ruler worried over what he had been told before turning his attention back to the group. "Botan! I want you and Ayame to scour any and all documents that have anything to do with possible parrallel dimensions, at once!"

Botan immediately saluted. "Yes, sir!" She said as she hurried out of the office, leaving a nervously fidgiting Keiko standing beside a silently fuming Hiei while being eyed by a very aggitated, bordering on paranoid, Koenma.

Hiei looked around as the ferry girl left, still trying to get over the fact that she was not the princess, but a simple ferry girl and that this upstart, who was nothing but a ferry boy was in fact prince. He still did not stray far from his mate's side. "How is it that you are as you were before we mated?"

Keiko looked up, slightly startled. _'He still doesn't realize...'_ She thought, suddenly feeling bad for this other Hiei that had apparently been dropped into their world. As much as she was wary of the Hiei from her realm, this one seemed a bit different. There seemed to be some sort of calming aura wafting off of him and making her warm to this version of the dark demon.

"It's because, in this world, we never mated, Hiei. I mean, the first time we met, you kidnapped me and used me against Yusuke. You don't even _like_ me in this realm." Keiko said softly, trying her best to explain things to the confused demon.

Hiei looked back at her with widened eyes, "What? I never! Kurama sent me to save you from that demon who was setting us up!" He sat down on the floor, trying to figure out how this world could be so different, and yet so similar to the one that he knew. He could not imagine _ever_ using his mate in such a low fashion, even before they mated, if nothing else his sister would have chewed him out.

Keiko could only stare down at the seated fire demon in surprise, his response to her declaration not what she had expected. Before she could ask what he was talking about, Botan came rushing back into the room carrying a large stack of folders piled high in her arms. She was followed by two oni, each ones' arms piled high with folders just as Botan's was.

"Here you go, sir, I hope there's something in these that can be useful." The ferry girl stated as she sat her folders down in front of Koenma, the stack hiding the toddler prince from view. It didn't help any that the two oni also unloaded their armloads onto the desk as well, the result being that it completely hid the desk from view, much less the diminutive diety seated behind it. Koenma could not be seen at all.

Keiko's heart went out to the demon sitting on the floor. He looked, and sounded so lost.

Koenma and Botan were completely flabbergasted by Hiei's behavior, considering that this was completely foreign to the foul-tempered demon that they both knew, though Botan knew that he was just as capable of biting out comments with the Hiei that they both knew. With Keiko, he was showing a completely softer side than he had ever shown before.

Keiko knelt down in front of the Hiei that she had, for all intents and purposes, been kidnapped by, albeit unknowingly on his part, thinking he had a right to her. She wanted to know more and reached a hand out to touch his shoulder. She had almost touched him when suddenly the doors were slammed open and Yusuke stormed in, closely followed by Kurama and Kuwabara.

Yusuke was about to say something when he was brought to an abrupt halt by the sight of Hiei, completely withdrawn into himself, and Keiko kneeling in front of him, looking like she wanted to _comfort_ Hiei, if that was possible.

Kurama was silent, just observing for right now, but the responses of Hiei were not the responses of anyone he knew, that was certain.

Kuwabara just took one look and asked, "What's wrong with the shrimp?"

Everyone was shocked when Hiei gave out a weak laugh. "Well, at least some things haven't changed." He looked up, only to see Keiko kneeling in front of him, hand poised to rest on his shoulder and all he could do is stare into her chocolate eyes that brimmed with compassion, compassion that he had often seen on the face of his own mate. He found that he was struck speechless once more.

Keiko's eyes locked with Hiei's and her reluctance all but disappeared when she saw the desolate look in his eyes. Without even thinking of the consequences, or of her audience, she allowed her hand to complete its motion and let it come to rest on Hiei's shoulder.

"A-are you okay?" She asked softly, completely oblivious to the audience around her who proceeded to gape at what she had done.

Hiei reached up his own hand to slowly cover hers. He felt a small easing at his heart, but he knew what the answer would be. "Not really, not until I get back to my own place and mate."

Kurama was floored by this note. The Hiei he knew would _never_ have said such a thing, to admit to such a weakness. He looked over at his other teammates to see how they were taking this.

"What the hell?!" Keiko and the other Hiei's eyes broke contact as their heads swung toward the door to find an apparently fuming Spirit Detective. "What the hell are you talking about, Hiei? You don't even have a mate!"

Beside him, Kuwabara was nodding in agreement as he continued to stare blankly at the two on the floor. In his mind, all he could think was, _'Huh, that's weird.'_

Across the room, both Botan and Koenma were exchanging worried glances as the same thoughts ran through their minds. Apparently, their Hiei had been swapped with another one from some other deminsion. But how had this odd switch occured in the first place? Could they even reverse it? Remembering the tender look that the fire demon had bestowed upon Keiko, an even better question arose in the child ruler's mind. Did they even _want_ to reverse it?

Hiei slowly stood, giving Keiko's hand a gentle squeeze to let her know that he needed to get up. When he faced them, it almost looked as though their old friend had been returned. "Yes, Detective, I do. However, it seems that I am A-misplaced, and B-separated from her. However, her double is here, and I would assume _my_ double is there. I have one question, where's Kurama?" He looked around, seeing almost all familiar faces, save for the red-head and took a quick inventory and decided that he had another question, "And where is my sister, normally she is by your side?" He aimed the last at Yusuke.

Yusuke blinked in surprise, but before he could say anything, Kurama stepped in to answer the fire demon's first question. Looking up, Kurama wondered why Hiei wouldn't recognize his best friend, "You don't recognize me, Hiei?"

Hiei shook his head, "Should I? You are human, Kurama is a youko, one of the rare silvers, and he raised me."

Koenma wondered just how much he could take in one day. His voice came from the other side of the files that still hid him from sight. It sounded as if Kurama was well and truly shocked this time. "Kurama, I think you're going to have to show him."

Kurama looked at his diminutive friend. "I am Kurama, Hiei, and I shall prove it to you." He reached into himself and changed into his youko aspect. "It's me, Hiei."

Hiei looked back into the golden eyes and took in the youko that he knew. "But how? What?" Instinctively his hand reached back for Keiko's, seeking silent reassurance that only his mate could give.

Without hesitation, and much to Yusuke's surprise, Keiko grasped Hiei's searching hand with hers and gave it a small squeeze. "It's alright, Hiei. It really is Kurama." She said, hoping that her words would wipe the uncertainty from his red eyes. For some reason, it was almost painful to see his eyes with that look in them.

Hiei took a deep breath and cocked his head, "Thank you." He told her absently, shocking everyone.

Kurama asked softly, the only other one in the room who seemed to comprehend what was going on. "Hiei, Keiko's your mate, isn't she?"

Hiei gave a single nod, not answering out loud, only remembering Kurama when he had first figured it out himself. Kurama had asked that very same question, in that very same fashion.

"The _hell_ she is!" The exclamation drew everyone's attention away from the doppleganger Hiei and back to the now red faced detective. "Keiko's _my_ girl, so get your hands _off_!"

Hiei's eyes narrowed warningly. "Oh, really, _Detective_? Or what? What would you do to me?" Now this Hiei they knew. His eyes smouldered with barely suppressed rage and his voice was hard and unyeilding as their Hiei could ever be. He held up his other hand, wrappings and all. "Are you ignorant of your heritage, or are you simply human here?"

"Bastard! I'll show you ignorant, you little piss ant!" Yusuke spat, raising his hand, index finger already beginning to glow in that familiar blue energy.

"Uh, Urameshi? I don't think that's such a good idea!" Kuwabara began backing away, making his way toward the door.

Kurama stepped forward, "Yusuke, you _are_ still ignorant of many things in your heritage." He put his hand on Yusuke's shoulder, knowing he was risking the toushin's wrath. "Fire demons only get one true mate and it appears that in this place where this Hiei comes from, since we all know I didn't raise him, though I wish I had," He added sadly, "He has well and truly mated with _that_ Keiko. From what Hiei said earlier you have been involved with his sister." He said delicately, looking at Kuwabara as he avoided the name.

Yusuke nodded wordlessly, accepting Kurama's logic. However, it took a few moments more before he had calmed down enough to power down his Spirit Gun and lower his hand, all the while never taking his eyes off of Hiei. In doing so, he did not miss the fact that throughout all of this, Keiko had not let go of the other demon's hand.

Hiei looked over at the tall stack of folders, then back at the group, "So, you still have not answered my question, where is my sister? Where is Yukina?"

There was a collective wince as Kuwabara's voice rose in pitch as he responded accordingly to this revelation...

"WHAAAAAT!!!!!!"

...and then he promptly fainted.

Hiei simply raised his brow, then glared at the desk, "Okay, what _else_ is different, and how soon can I go home? Because I _really_ want to get back to normal!"

Kurama looked around at his friends. Kuwabara was still out cold. Yusuke seemed to be beyond words, trying to hold his temper and confusion at once at the image of himself and Yukina. Botan was speachless and Koenma, well, nothing could be seen around the humongous pile of folders, however, nothing could be heard, either. He sighed. "Hiei, you've been resisting telling your sister for years that you are her brother, in spite of myself and others urging you to, including Yusuke. So, she doesn't know." He looked at the pile of folders, books and other information. "As to how to get you home, I'm guessing from the appearance that these books should have a clue on how to do so. I'm sure our Hiei will be equally anxious to get back."

Hiei looked up into Kurama's sincere golden eyes and nodded. These were the eyes that had guided him through some of his hardest trials, and he trusted the youko on a very deep level. "Very well, I shall wait, however I miss my mate, my sister and I hate to say it to you all, but my friends, even the baka." His head slumped down, "You are as familiar and as different as can be." He pulled Keiko into his arms, whispering against her, admitting his weakness to her, but not to the others, "I'm homesick, Keiko."

Silence filled Koenma's office as everyone waited to see what Keiko would do. Yusuke expected her to slap him down just like she used to do him whenever he'd do things like that, but got the shock of his life when, instead, Keiko simply wound her arms around the demon and returned the embrace, whispering things into the other's ear that, much to Yusuke chagrin, he couldn't hear.

Botan watched breathlessly as Keiko whispered in his ear, seeing Koenma come out from behind his desk and assuming his teenage form to actually observe the drama.

Hiei listened to Keiko as she talked. It had been something that his mate had told him when they first started seeing each other, and both had been unsure of the other. His shoulders relaxed and he held her tighter, trying to remember that she was a ningen, and not a fire demon. He lifted his eyes up to look at Koenma and Botan. "I shall be waiting with Keiko for the two of you to find a way to get me back to where I belong, but for the time being, I will stay with she who is this realm's equivalent to my mate."

"Of course, that will be fine." Koenma stated, giving a pointed glare inYusuke's direction when the beginnings of a threatening growl began in the toushin's direction. "Botan and myself will begin researching this right away. I believe I will also get a few ogres on the job as well. Might make for faster progress."

Kurama looked at Yusuke's angry face and had more than enough questions. "I can help her Yusuke, and besides, I'm curious to see how our timeline could have been so altered that I am still in my youko form."

Hiei looked over at Kurama, "You are not the only one to have questions, Kurama." He looked down at his mate, he couldn't think of her as anything else, and asked, "Shall we go?"

Keiko nodded. She didn't dare look in Yusuke's direction. She knew that he must be furious for how she was acting around this new Hiei, but she just couldn't help herself. It felt so.. natural, to comfort him and to support him like she had done only moments before. At any rate, she was pretty much in charge of caring for him now and she would do her best. Without a word, she was escorted from the Reikai office by Hiei and Kurama, leaving a fuming Yusuke to cart out a still unconscious Kuwabara.

After the office had emptied, Botan turned to Koenma, surprised to find him still in his teenage form and standing very close. She couldn't help but blush a bit. Fortunately, he didn't notice. Koenma turned back to his desk and stared forlornly at the large pile of folders that he and Botan were now obligated to tackle in order to find a solution to their little Hiei swapping problem. With a resigned sigh, he said, "Would someone care to explain how we got into this mess?"

Sadly, Botan had no idea how to answer him.

TBC...


End file.
